Report

Improving Housing Outcomes for Aboriginal People in Western Canada: National, regional, community and individual perspectives on changing the future of homelessness

In 2010/2011 a study was undertaken in four Western provinces with organizations providing services addressing homelessness among Aboriginal peoples. The research was conducted from Calgary, but included organizations in seven census metropolitan areas across the western provinces: Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Victoria. The intent of the study was to identify the most effective policies, procedures, and practices for working with Aboriginal peoples who experience homelessness. The study was conducted in four phases. Phase 1 was the creation of a database of organizations that provided housing services to Aboriginal people. In Phase 2, the policies, procedures, and practices that were currently used by these organizations in serving homeless people were described. Phase 3 provided case studies of organizations viewed by their peers as effective in serving Aboriginal people who are homeless and/or that were identified in interviews in Phase 2. In Phase 4, a study of the capacity for organizations in an urban setting, specifically Calgary, to collaborate on an initiative to improve housing outcomes for Aboriginal people was conducted. Creation of a framework for best practices in ending Aboriginal homeless was the final step.